Five accused of drug trafficking granted $1.25M bail

IN AN emergency bail application hearing, five drug trafficking accused were yesterday granted bail totalling $1,250,000 by a High Court judge. Appearing before Madame Justice Paula Mae Weekes at the Port-of-Spain Assizes, Ronald Rackal,  Jitram Sookdeo, Hafeez Mohammed, Ramesh Doon, and Indaryartee Dwarika were each granted  bail in the sum of $250,000 to be approved by a Clerk of Peace. They were  also ordered to surrender their passports and report to the police station closest to their respective homes every Tuesday and Friday between 8am and 4pm. The five, who are being represented by attorneys Devan Rampersad, Ian Ibrahim and Brian Debideen, are wanted in the United States to face drug trafficking charges. They are also charged with  trafficking 542 kilos  of cocaine at Orange Field Road, Freeport on January 22, 2001. 

The  illegal narcotic has an estimated street value of $313 million. They were scheduled to go on trial before Justice Herbert Volney on November 1, when  each had   been placed on $100,000 bail for the local charges. However, when  they appeared before Chief Magistrate Sherman McNicolls at the City’s Magistrates’ Court that same day for the extradition matter, they were each granted bail in the sum of  $5 million — the highest bail in the history of Trinidad and Tobago. The five had subsequently applied for a reduction in the amount before Volney, who had reduced it to $150,000 each. In a  dramatic move on December 16, they were re-arrested as they walked out of the Hall of Justice by members of the Organised Crime and Narcotics Unit relative to the extradition matter. 

They made a bail application before Weekes on December 17 but the matter was not heard because  attorney David West of the Attorney General’s office was not present. . In granting bail yesterday, Weekes pointed out that caution must be applied when considering the granting of bail in an extradition matter. However, since the State could not show that the accused were flight risks she acceded to the bail applications. Attorney Dana Seetahal appears with West for the AG’s office. The five will return to the Assizes for trial on March 1, 2005. Following their High Court appearance, the five accused appeared before Chief Magistrate Sherman Mc Nicolls in the Port-of-Spain Eighth court where their charge for extradition to the United States is being heard.

Rampersad, who appears for Mohammed, asked the magistrate for an adjournment, stating that the members of the defence team needed time to sort things out with their clients who were incarcerated for some time. He also indicated the accused persons also had the High Court matter pending, which should take precedence over the one being heard in the magistrate’s court. West argued that it was different in extradition proceedings, and asked that a date be set for the preliminary inquiry to begin. After hearing the arguments of both sides, the Chief Magistrate set a January 4, 2005 adjournment date, when the extradition matter is expected to begin.